Musical instruments, including stringed musical instruments such as guitars, have been made from a number of different materials in order to obtain desired sound characteristics including clarity and sustain. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,769,871 to Cawthorn discloses a guitar including a body made from a mineral or petrified matter such as granite, marble, onyx, rose quartz, petrified wood or agate. U.S. Pat. No. 7,482,518 to DiSanto discloses stringed instruments such as guitars and violins made from high density veneers composed of stone, metal, ceramic or the like. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 3,427,915 to Mooney teaches stringed instruments with laminated sound panels constructed from two outer-plies made of high-modulus material sandwiched around an inner-ply made of a low density material.
As will be described below, this document discloses a novel and improved construction for the body of a musical instrument such as, but not limited to, a stringed musical instrument such as a guitar. The body comprises a core and an outer shell mounted to a center plate. In a preferred embodiment, the body includes a full foam core. Such a solid body made with these construction parameters provides an enhanced sound quality. More specifically, the hard outer shell provides for desired resonance properties and a pronounced sustain. The foam filled core provides support and rigidity to the shell while reducing the overall weight of the instrument. In addition, the open cell structure of the foam core acts as a sound chamber amplifying the sound of the instrument.